


Season(ing)s of Love

by kpopeo



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: F/M, Fluff, bede is figuring out his feelings, just generic fluff for yall :D, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:09:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22116907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kpopeo/pseuds/kpopeo
Summary: When Gloria had taken an interest in cooking, Bede was the first person who noticed and, subsequently, became her first guinea pig.
Relationships: Beet | Bede & Yuuri | Gloria, Beet | Bede/Yuuri | Gloria
Comments: 18
Kudos: 158





	Season(ing)s of Love

Bede wasn't a frequent camper when he was still a gym challenger, instead choosing to focus on getting Chairman Rose's approval when it was all that mattered to him. Because of this, he was only decent at making curry for his Pokemon. Curry was the last thing Bede would think of, and besides, how good you were at making curry didn't measure how much you cared for your Pokemon. In short, Bede did not care for curry.

And he didn't think much of it until he saw Galar's Champion foraging in Glimwood Tangle, her faithful Inteleon standing guard next to her. Gloria looked unsightly, Bede thought, as a few twigs were nestled in her hair and dirt was evident on her trackers. A basket sat beside her, a few glowing things inside.

He grimaced at the Champion. He had half a mind to get her attention, but he decided against it, choosing to go on his merry way to Stow-on-Side to grab some things for Ms. Opal. Well, it was his plan before Inteleon made a noise at him, alerting Gloria of his presence.

Bede wanted to run right there, but Gloria's head swiveled to his direction too quickly for an escape. Her face lighted up with a grin, and she waved a hand at him. “Hey, Bedey!” he cringed at her nickname for him, but he still approached the kneeling girl. “Whatcha doing in the Tangle?”

“I should be asking you that,” Bede replied. “You look like a truffle harvester, except it's worse because you're also the Champion,” he commented, side-eyeing her as Gloria snorted. Her Inteleon glared at him.

“As a matter-of-fact, I _am_ foraging for truffles right now. Glimwood truffles, or whatever that friendly camper said the other night,” she said. Now, Bede got a good look at her basket's inside. Sure enough, glowing truffles were in there. “By the way, what's wrong with a Champion who forages for truffles? They taste great!”

He ignored the last statement. “I have never heard of Glimwood truffles, so that 'friendly' camper must've wanted to poison you,” Bede told her. Gloria huffed, standing up so she could face the gym leader completely. She crossed her arms.

“I ate these with the camper! The truffles look exactly the same, too, so I know they're not poisonous or anything,” she replied indignantly. He rolled his eyes.

“What will you do with them, anyway? Have a taste-testing? Champion of Galar, truffle harvester and curry connoisseur,” he said, making imaginary rainbows with his hands. He meant it as a joke, but the guilty glint in Gloria's eyes said otherwise. “Wait, you really are a curry connoisseur?”

“N-not just curry, you know!” she stuttered, as if he revealed some great secret about her. Maybe he really did. “Look, I know it's weird and all since I used to burn everything I cook, but after making good curry with that camper, I decided to learn how to cook better. I-it's not like it's a big deal, though, so whatever!”

“So, you're still a beginner at this?” he asked. Gloria's face heated up, the blush making it glaringly obvious that she was, indeed, a beginner. “And you're trying to deal with a prized ingredient like truffles?”

“Okay, maybe it's not the best thing to start with,” she admitted. “Fine, I'll keep these truffles away and start with something that's 'beginner' enough, like sausages,” she said, glaring at Bede. He gave a dismissive wave of his hand, turning around to continue walking. “Wait, Bede! I, um, have never told anyone about what I'm trying to do here, so... can you keep it a secret?”

He glanced at her. “Truffle harvesting? Right.”

“No, I meant...” her voice trailed off. “...the whole cooking thing. I mean, I'll just tell everyone when I actually get better, but this one was just bad timing... soo...”

“Fine. I get it, Gloria.”

“Thanks, Bedey!”

As Bede walked farther away, his thoughts began to wander. _Why would Gloria keep it a secret? Learning to cook isn't that bad, even if it exposes the truth about the Champion being an idiot about cooking._

Bede thought that encounter in the Tangle would be the last of Gloria and her cooking endeavours. Gloria would've laughed at how wrong he was.

It became apparent to Bede that he was, quite literally, the only person who knew of what she was trying to do, when she broke into his flat to talk of how her cooking went. She did knock and all, and Bede let her in (out of politeness), but he still considered it as breaking and entering a property.

“The sausages didn't taste so... dry, at least!” she said, excited about it. “My Pokemon probably used to eat my curry with tears in their eyes, so I'm glad they had a better reaction to it this time.”

“Good for you,” Bede replied, hoping for an escape to come his way. Sadly, the gym was closed on Sundays, and that meant it was Bede's off-day today. Lucky him. “Did you come here for anything else, or did you just want to ramble about your cooking?”

“Not my fault you found me when I was foraging, so now you're stuck with me. I'm excited to finally have someone to talk about my cooking with!” Gloria said, grinning as she pulled out a container. “I think the one I made before going here tastes great, though. Can you try?”

Bede scrambled away from her. “Woman, don't try to send me into a comatose here.”

Gloria pouted, making puppy Yamper eyes at him. He looked away. “Please, Bedey! Just one spoonful, that's it. And then give me the verdict. I ate some of this batch before going here, and I'm still alive! Bedeeeey...!”

“Okay, okay, fine!” Bede grumbled, taking the container from her hands. “Stop the squeaky 'Bedey' thing, it's getting annoying,” he mumbled, low enough so Gloria couldn't hear. Or maybe she did, but she just ignored it. He opened the container, taking the spoon packed with it. The smell of 'too much of something' hit his nose, but he stayed silent about it.

Lifting the spoonful of curry to his lips, he braced himself for the worst. The curry was slightly burnt, and it had a tad too much pepper. Still, it wasn't the worst he'd ever tasted, and he briefly thought of Gloria having a good start.

“So? How is it?” her inquisitive eyes stared at Bede's face, which reddened at the image of Gloria watching him eat. He looked away, chewing at a much faster pace so he could get over this quickly.

“Keep quiet, I'm still judging it,” he said. Swallowing the food down, he cleared his throat. “It's still burnt, and it has too much pepper, but... I'd give it a four out of ten.”

“Four?” Gloria groaned, leaning back from the table. “I thought it was an eight! For me, anyway,” she sighed.

“That's because you're used to your own cooking,” Bede replied, placing the lid on the container. He slid it towards Gloria, who looked at it with discouraged eyes. Her expression was briefly somber, and he would've apologized if it wasn't for the determination returning to her face.

“I'll aim for a ten out of ten! No, an _eleven_ out of ten!” Gloria exclaimed with a renewed sense of vigor. He groaned. It looked and sounded cheesy, and it was happening in his house. However, Bede respected the way Gloria went greath lengths for her goals, and this was one of hers. _Arceus, that sounded cheesy as well._

“Good luck on achieving that,” he muttered. At least he wasn't a seriously picky eater. He'd probably mark Ms. Opal's scones as an eleven, but then again, Ms. Opal was great at baking. “Don't you have Champion duties to do?”

“Oh yeah, the League's gonna have a meeting in...” Gloria checked her watch. Her face contorted in horror as she realized what time it was. “Fifteen minutes?! How am I going to book a Flying Taxi that fast?”

Bede could only snicker.

Gloria stayed at 4 or 5 for a while, making a sad face every time Bede made the judgement, but still considering the comments he makes afterwards. Soon enough, she reached the 5 rating, and then she was at 6, and now she was at 7. She seemed to have been stuck there for a few weeks now, though, and she often left Bede's flat frustrated.

Today, Gloria still hadn't surpassed the rating of 7. She left the flat in a childish, stomping fit, grumbling about how Bede's ratings may have been a 'scam'. He didn't expect any more visitors afterwards, and even that included Ms. Opal.

“Your house smells of different spices and dishes. Have you taken an interest in the culinary arts, child? Or perhaps, you've been eating someone else's cooking?” she teased, amused with how quick she could make the poor boy's face flush. “I saw the Champion leave your house in a foul mood a while ago. A quarrel, perhaps?”

“No, she's just throwing a tantrum. She can get childish at times,” he said, hoping for his blush to go away. He still hadn't replied to Ms. Opal's comment on his flat's new scent, deciding on what to say. Gloria did tell him to keep a secret, after all. “As for the smell... I am just enjoying the smell of the spices, that's all.” _What a horrible lie!_

“You do? Why, I'll try to bring some spices the next time I come and visit!” the old woman said before raising her crane to smack Bede lightly on the legs. He winced. “Child, you are friends with the Champion, are you not? What is the harm in bringing food for friends?”

“It's just...” he faltered, not knowing how to explain the situation to her. The woman wouldn't make a deal out of the Champion's shortcomings, Bede thought. “She's making me try her cooking. She comes here so I can judge whatever she has whipped up.”

“Why not her old rival, Assistant Hop, I'll never know nor pry into...” she said to herself. “Maybe you are just a special person to her, hm?” she sent a knowing glance towards Bede, who tried hard to hide his blush. “Your emotions for her are never well-guarded, I suppose.”

“Wha—I... that's rubbish, you old—Ms. Opal,” he coughed, stopping himself as the woman chuckled again.

“Well now! I must take my leave. I do have the answers I needed,” she said, slowly walking to the door. “Here is some advice for you, child. There are a lot of ingredients in the Wild Area, I hear. Maybe pick up something that the Champion can use, no?”

Bede didn't say anything in reply to that, letting the old woman leave without any more protest. He opened up his Rotom phone, marking his off-day with the activity ' _Wild Area: Ingredients'._

The weather in the Wild Area was a wreck. Harsh sunlight made Bedes's exploration in Dusty Bowl hard ( _Were there even ingredients in Dusty Bowl?_ Bede thought. He was a fool.), while the neighbouring Giant's Cap had a thunderstorm going on. The lower part of the Wild Area was calmer, though, and he decided to search in the Dappled Grove.

Pungent roots were found near the lake, and he collected some of them, stuffing them in a bag he brought for this. “I look like Gloria, the truffle harvester,” he huffed as he bent down to pull the pungent root out of the ground, grateful for the gardening gloves he wore. The root stubbornly remained where it was, and Bede was close to giving up when he felt a hand smack on his shoulder.

“Boo!”

He toppled over in shock, almost falling into the water when he felt someone stop him, bringing him again to the ground. He turned around, fuming at whoever had the nerve to surprise him like that. He didn't expect to see Gloria's eyes staring back at him with a mischevious glint to them. “You idiot. I almost fell into the water.”

“Yes, and I saved you!” Gloria chirped. She peered into the bag Bede was carrying, only to have him pull the bag closer to his body. He shooed her away, but she was still curious about it. “Wait, what? What's that you got in there, anyway? I smell a pungent root, and you were trying to pull out a pungent root...” she got into her thinking stance. He wanted to run away. “You're getting ingredients as well?”

“No—wait, uh, this is for... Ms. Opal. She's been craving for an herb medley curry for a while. I'm just getting her ingredients,” he said, internally berating himself for the ridiculous lies he had been creating as of late. “Well now, I'll get back to Ballonlea—“

“Actually, Bede...” Gloria interrupted him, and that brought him back to full awareness. “I set up a camp nearby. Do you want to eat with me for dinner? I was just going to cook until I saw you around.”

“...Sure,” he finally agreed, following Gloria to a clearing where her Pokemon relaxed and played with each other. They became tense when they noticed another's presence, aware of how Bede was following their trainer. He watched them with wary eyes, while the Champion tried to calm her Pokemon down.

“You can let your Pokemon out, if you want. They'll probably enjoy the nice sun as well,” she said, soothing her Inteleon. Bede brought his original team, not the one he used for the gym, and considered it.

“They'll probably tear each other apart, once they gain sight of each other,” he commented, but he still released his Pokemon anyway. His Reuniclus quickly charged towards Gloria's Coalossal, but was stopped by its trainer. “See?”

The other trainer motioned to his Hatterene and her Toxtricity, who looked like they were engaging in a pleasant conversation. Or interaction. “Some of them are also getting along, though!” Gloria said before grabbing ingredients from her bag.

Bede thought of giving the pungent root to her. He hesitated, even though he knew it was really for her, anyway. _Bede, you are an absolute mushroom!_ He thought to himself, shaking as he grabbed into the bag. He called out to her by accident, and he winced as she turned to him.

“Actually, I did grab extra ingredients. Maybe you can have some?” he said. He knew he sounded like a dunce, but if she noticed it, she wasn't saying anything. Instead, she flashed a smile at him.

“Wow, Bede, this might be the nicest thing you've ever done for me,” Gloria joked, but she still took the root out of his hand. “Thanks, anyway! I'm sure this will be a great curry, since you contributed,” she winked, then turned around to her Pokemon. “Inteleon, would you be a dear and clean this with some water? Thank you!”

Bede watched as Gloria cooked, taking note of how she seasoned her curry and how she chose her ingredients. She had a few rare berries on hand, and she decided to stick with a spicy herb medley curry for tonight. Soon enough, their Pokemon came running to the campsite where she was cooking, interested in the heavenly smell coming from the pot.

“That actually smells nice,” he remarked. Gloria smiled at the compliment, stirring it for a moment more before she turned to Bede.

“Watch this. It's my Pokemon's favorite part,” she said before bringing her hand to her lips, gesturing a flying kiss towards the pot. Her Pokemon made sounds of affection around the pot, clearly happy with what she did. “The best part is putting your love and heart into it! Maybe that's why my Pokemon still ate all the bad curry I did before.”

“Do you do that for all the food you cook?” Bede asked. His mind wondered about the times she brought him food, and the thought of Gloria doing that for him made him blush. Thankfully (or was he disappointed?), the girl shook her head no.

“Nope. Only for my Pokemon,” she answered, before the edges of her lips lifted in a teasing smile. “Ah, were you wondering if I did that for the meals I make for you? Sorry, buddy, I don't... unless you want me to?”

Bede shoved her face away from him. “No, I do not,” he said, voice firm (he could feel it wavering, though) as he denied her words. Gloria laughed at his denial instead.

“Suit yourself. Here's the first serving you'll get with my love and affection, Bedey,” she said, making smoochy faces at him. He looked away in disgust (or embarassment, he wasn't sure) and took the plate from her in silence.

It tasted as good as it smelled, Bede noted. The spiciness was just right, and it tasted better with all the rare berries put into it. The pungent root was prepared well, and no flavor clashed with another. _And she put her 'heart' into it..._ Bede almost turned red again, but he stopped himself with another spoonful of the curry.

“I'd give it an 8,” Bede set, setting the empty plate on the space beside him. Gloria beamed at her score.

“Oh my Arceus! Hear that, Inteleon?” the Pokemon shot a look at Bede before crying out in agreement with its trainer. “Thanks, Bede! I mean, I knew it was good, too. Way better than before. What could've made it surpass 7, though? Was it your pungent root, or...” she leaned closer towards him. “... was it my love and affection?”

“I must've misjudged. This is a 7, because of the last statement,” he said, earning a sad, pouty look from Gloria. He eventually caved in, and with a roll of his eyes, he muttered an unwilling, “Fine. It's still an 8. I'm going home.”

She stood up almost immediately after Bede did, and, against her better judgment, made a grab at his arm. Shocked, her hand fell back to her side, and she mumbled an apology before smiling at him again. “Uh, I just wanted to say thanks for spending the evening with me! I enjoyed eating with you, you know. And I'm really glad I finally got an 8.”

“You're... welcome,” Bede replied, unsure of what to say. “Maybe you aren't so hopeless at cooking after all.”

In the Flying Taxi on the way to Ballonlea, the part where Gloria grabbed him tingled in a different sort of way.

When he saw Gloria enter the training grounds in the Ballonlea Stadium, Bede almost got whacked in the head by his Hatterene for losing focus—and for having an emotion flare up. _Embarassment_. He almost missed the way Ms. Opal threw a knowing look at him before she managed the other trainers, and he knew she knew something between them.

“What does she know that I don't?” he mumbled to himself before Gloria waved at him, running to where he was. The Hatterene cried out in annoyance before floating away, presumably to where emotions weren't that strong.

“Hey, Bedey! Ms. Opal said I can visit you today, if I wanted to. I'm free for the afternoon anyway!” she greeted.

“I'm not,” he grumbled before turning around. Instead of finding his Hatterene at his side, however, Ms. Opal herself was beside him, a smile gracing her features. A smile that told Bede to listen to her well.

“Actually, child, it seems that your team has improved greatly. Enough for you to earn some free time with the Champion herself,” Ms. Opal said. Bede eyed her crane, fearing she might raise it and smack his legs again once Gloria was distracted. “You are dismissed from today's training. Have fun, children.”

The Champion was happy with that, and she thanked the old woman before dragging Bede outside of the Stadium and to his flat. He complained the whole way, getting strange looks from the passers-by as they watched their Champion treat their gym leader like a ragdoll.

Once inside his home, he lost it. “Gloria, what is the meaning of this? Care to explain why you interrupted my day and dragged me—as in, _dragged_ me!—to my flat?” he said, trying to keep his glare on the girl who could barely conceal her excitement from him.

“Bede, I am so sorry for doing this to you, but I think I've gotten it,” she said.

“Gotten what?”

“The perfect, 10 out of 10 curry recipe!” Gloria exclaimed, ending it with a celebratory pose. With how hyper and happy she really was, Bede couldn't find it in himself to stay mad at her. It's not like he had the guts to stay mad at her for long, anyway. She pulled out a pink container, covered with Sylveon, and hands it over to him.

“Hm, let's give it a try, then,” he said, setting it down to the table. The scent this time was perfect, and the curry was decorated with vegetables cut in letters to spell out 'BEDE'. He couldn't help but smile briefly at how it was prepared. Gloria probably spent a lot of time thinking of what to do.

The curry was sweet and spicy, with the perfect amount of seasoning to go with her chosen flavors. It was made with coconut milk to get the creaminess and sweetness just right, and the pepper, ginger, and curry powder enhanced the flavor of the stew. It was perfect. (The decorations were perfect, too. _Maybe if she just added a heart_? Bede pushed those thoughts away as fast and as violently as possible.)

“How is it?” Gloria's voice broke his moment of savouring the taste, and he gave her a dirty look before taking another bite. “I put all the love and affection I could muster into it! I hope that made a huuuge impact on it, hehe.”

It took everything in him to stop himself from choking on the food.

( _Maybe it did make an impact on the curry.)_

“It's not a 10 out of 10, Champion,” Bede said. Gloria's face fell for a moment before he spoke up again. “Good job on your 11.”

**Author's Note:**

> bede has a crush on gloria but they won't get the Relationship Development they deserve bc they're Like That
> 
> kudos and comments are greatly appreciated :D


End file.
